Research is showing that for a brief moment at least, Sony have taken the crown in Japan and have sold more Walkmans than Apple have sold iPods in the last month.

It might not seem like a big deal on the surface but, since 2001 when research company BCN began compiling their monthly sales stats, this is just the second time that Sony have come out on top (which lasted a week), with Apple and their iPod range outselling their competitors for the rest of the time. Last month the Sony Walkman held a 47.8% share of the market where as the iPod had 44%. Many expect this will all change when the new iPod models are released by Apple in Japan but, for the time being Sony can puff out it’s corporate feathers and celebrate it’s victory in the Japanese market.

Over at Gizmo Dot, the folks have got hold of the popular NWZ-E443 Walkman from Sony. The E443 is available in both red and black and in 4GB or 8GB variants. The model unboxed is the red 4GB version which retails for around £60 in the UK.

The 4GB of storage can store around 1000 tracks or 15 hours of video. The battery can last for around 30 hours while playing music, or 6 hours while watching videos. An FM Radio is also built in, so if you fancy a break from your music tracks, you have an alternative option. The Walkman also supports the viewing of photos. As for transferring media, it can be done easily on the Walkman with Windows explorer, no need for a seperate client to transfer music and video. The E443 Walkman features a proprietary port, which is a bit of a disappointment, mini USB would have been much better but, a cable is provided with the Walkman for transferring media and charging via computer. An additional wall charger can be purchased for the Walkman, or alternatively, an AC adapter that features a USB connection port, as found with many new phones, such as the Xperia X10.

Sony recently released an updated version to their wearable Walkman W202, in the form of the Sony Walkman W252. The W252 is an all in one Walkman as such, as it provides you with 2GB of space to fit your music collection on to, while also providing the earphones within the Walkman. The new feature of the W252 over the W202, is that the newer model is waterproof, making it perfect for workouts, or wearing in the rain. It’s also possible to wear it while in the shower, although it’s recommended that you don’t keep the water on them constantly with force. The same is true for swimming, while they can be put under a tap, it’s recommended you don’t wear them while swimming.

Sony is celebrating the forthcoming release of the Metal Gear Solid game on PSP with the release of a limited edition water resistant Walkman W252. It is a uniquely styled MP3 player and comes with a distinctive green camouflage finish.

The wire free Walkman, which can store up to 2GB comes with the 13.5mm EX Series headphones, which are also camouflaged. The wearable MP3 can store around 470 tunes and comes pre-loaded with six music tracks from the game.

A quick three-minute charge is sufficient for 90 minutes listening time. The battery on full charge provides 11 whole hours of listening time.

Sony now has a great product to offer to all fitness enthusiasts. The new NWZ-W252 W -Series Walkman MP3 Player. It is wireless, lightweight and housed in a water resistant frame to facilitate extended use for both indoor and outdoor usage. It doesn’t really matter any more if it’s raining.

Also, you can now transfer all your music files and playlists straight from your PC or the iTunes library. It has a maximum capacity of 2 GB and can hold about 500 songs, each about 4 minutes in length. There is also a quick charge function that lets you charge the player in just 3 minutes for a good 90 minute usage. When charged fully its battery can power 11 hours of non-stop music!